Display rack



Dec. 23, 1969 G GRUBB ET AL 3,485,381

DISPLAY RACK Filed Feb. 28, 1968 l4 INVENTOR.

GARY L. GRUBB A. JURIS LEIKARTS BY 5m Attorney U.s. Cl. 211 1'4s UnitedStates Patent 3,485,381 DISPLAY RACK Gary L. Grubb and Aldis JurisLeikarts, Indianapolis,

Ind., assignors, by mesne assignments, to Streater Industries, Inc.,Albert Lea, Minn., a corporation of Minnesota Filed Feb. 28, 1968, Ser.No. 709,022

Int. Cl. A47p 5/00 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The inventionrelates to a display rack for the display and holding of various kindsof merchandise. The rack is lightweight and strong and can be assembledand disassembled without tools by reason of the use of the well knownbed hook fastening principle. A main feature of the invention resides inthe use of cross braces which have the joint function of providingstructural rigidity for the frame of the display rack and the providingof a direct support for the shelves of the display rack. Another featureresides in a method for forming bed hooks at the ends of a tubular bracemember which involves flattening the ends of a length of tubular stockand cutting the flattened portions to form the hooks.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a display rack forthe display and holding of various kinds of merchandise. Moreparticularly, the invention relates to a display rack which is light inWeight, is easy to assemble and disassemble without the aid of anytools, is inexpensive to manufacture and, when assembled, forms a strongand rigid structure. The invention also relates to a method for formingbed hooks at the ends of tubular brace members used as cross braces forthe rack.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A main object of the invention is to provide alightweight display rack fabricated primarily of tubular metal and rodswhich may be readily assembled and disassembled without the aid of anytools.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved displayrack which may be shipped and stored in a knocked-down condition inrelatively small, lightweight corrugated cardboard cartons.

A further object of the invention is to provide a new and improvedmethod for forming bed hooks at the ends of a tubular brace member.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent fromthe following specification, drawing and appended claims.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a display rackembodying the invention; and

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary enlarged elevational view showing the bed hookand slot construction between one of the braces and one of the legs ofthe display rack.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawing, theillustrated display rack has a framework which includes a pair oftubular, generally arched shaped members and 12. As illustrated, member10 has a pair of generally parallel, vertically extendings legs 13 and14 connected at the top thereof by a horizontally extending cross member15. Member 12 likewise has a pair of generally parallel, vertically3,485,381 Patented Dec. 23, 1969 extending legs 18 and 19 connected atthe top thereof by a horizontally extending cross member 20.

Arch members 10 and 12 are firmly and rigidly connected together by twotubular braces 22 and 24 with brace 22 extending diagonally between thearch legs 14 and 18, and the other brace 24 extending diagonally betweenthe other pair of arch legs 13 and 19. Braces 22 and 24 are, in effect,in criss-crossing relation, although they are in separate spaced apart,horizontally extending planes.

By reason of the braces 22 and 24 being in criss-crossing and verticallyspaced apart relation, the combination of the arch members 10 and 12 andthe two braces form a very simple and very rigid frame-like structure.

Braces 22 and 24 are attached to the arch members 10 and 12 with a formof fastening means known in the art as bed type hooks. Each of thebraces 22 and 24 has a pair of vertically spaced hooks 30 and 31 at eachend thereof. The four pairs of hooks 30 and 31 are engageablerespectively with four pair of slots 32 and 33 formed in the four archlegs 13, 14, 18 and 19, the slots 32 and 33 of each pair of slots beingvertically spaced to register with the hooks of each pair of brace hooks30 and 31.

Each of the braces 22 and 24 is formed from a length of tubing which ispreferably metal but may conceivably also be a plastic material. Eachbrace has a right angle bend at each end thereof to form a depending legat each end thereof. The leg portions of each of the braces 22 and 24 isflattened as with a press and the resulting flattened portion has awidth, indicated in the drawing by the letter W, equal to one-half thecircumference or 1.571 times the diameter of the central unflattenedportion of the brace.

The flattened leg portion is then subjected to a cutting operation aswith dies, to form the hooks 30 and 31 and to round the ends thereof toprovide a finished appearance.

Arch member 10 has two horizontally extending, vertically spaced rodsand 46 extending between and fixedly attached as by welding to the twolegs 13 and 14 thereof. Arch member 12 likewise has two horizontallyextending, vertically spaced rods 45 and 46 extending between andfixedly attached to the legs 18 and 19 thereof. Rods 45 are in ahorizontal plane in the vicinity of the upper brace 22 and rods 46 arein a horizontal plane in the vicinity of the lower brace 24.

Rods 45 and 46 function to provide structural strength for the rack andalso as support members for shelves.

Two generally rectangular shelves 50 are provided with each shelf havingtwo inverted channels 51 and 52 on two opposite edges thereof. The twoshelves 50 are supported by the rods 45 and 46 with the channels 51 and52 of the upper shelf 50 engaging the rods 45 and channels 51 and 52 ofthe lower shelf 50 engaging the rods 46. Additional support for theshelves 50 is provided by the braces 22 and 24 by reason of the rods 45and 46 being positioned relative the positions of the braces so that theweight of the shelves and articles placed on the shelves is supportedjointly by the rods and the braces.

What is claimed is:

1. A readily assembled and disassembled display rack comprising a pairof tubular generally arched shaped upright spaced apart members, eachsaid U-shaped members having a pair of vertically extending legs, afirst pair of horizontally extending rods with each rod thereofextending between and being fixedly attached to one pair of said legs, asecond pair of horizontally extending rods with each rod thereofextending between and being fixedly attached to one pair of said legs,said first pair of rods being in a first horizontal plane and saidsecond pair of rods being in a second horizontal plane vertically spacedfrom said first horizontal plane, a first tubular brace member in aplane slightly below said first horizontal plane and extendingdiagonally between one set of diagonally opposite ones of said legs, asecond tubular brace member in a plane slightly below said secondhorizontal plane and extending diagonally between the other set ofdiagonally opposite ones of said legs, bed hook fastening means betweensaid braces and said legs, and first and second shelves with said firstshelf being supported by said first pair of rods and said first braceand said second shelf being supported by said second pair of rods andsaid second brace.

2. A display rack as set forth in claim 1 wherein each of said braceshas at least one hook at each end thereof, and slot means in each ofsaid legs for receiving said hooks.

3. A display rack as set forth in claim 1 wherein each of said shelveshas a pair of inverted channel shaped portions on opposite sides thereoffor shelf supporting engagement with one of said pairs of horizontallyextending rods.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,975,900 10/1934 Kuenhold211-148 X 2,677,470 5/1954 Cataland 211-l48 ,X 2,760,650 8/1956 Franks211148 3,004,814 10/1961 Schulze 2l1133 X 3,194,407 7/1965 DAltrui211-148 NILE C. BYERS, 111., Primary Examiner

